German officers visit a Catholic church in Kowel Poland during World War II (now Kovel Ukraine).

Location:
Kowel Poland Date:1944Duration:57 secSound:Yes

German propaganda newsreel shows German officers visiting a church in Kowel Poland, now Kovel Ukraine (possibly the Church of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Kovel, dismantled after World War 2). A statue of Jesus Christ and many other Christian Catholic and Russian Orthodox relics and artwork are on display, purportedly saved by German forces of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking under Nazi General Herbert Otto Gille. Several German officers join Herbert Otto Gille in looking at the items on display. Items include a vestment or altar cloth commemorating a 1921 Gymnastic gathering of the Sokol movement in Kowel (reading Kowlu on the fabric), and featuring the Black Madonna or Black Virgin. Other relics including Crowns, candle sticks, goblets, and crucifix. The German officers discuss the relics with the Catholic priests. The officers, including Obergruppenführer Herbert Otto Gille, shake hands with the clergy before departing.